Is an old garage door worth repairing?

Many older doors, including originals on houses built in the 1970s and on converted base housing, are standard residential sectional doors that can be serviced like any other. What matters is the condition of the door itself, not the year it went in. A solid door with worn springs, rollers and hinges is often a good repair candidate. A door that is failing structurally usually is not.

What we inspect

• The sections, for rot, rust-through, cracks or soft spots.
• The attachment points where hinges, rollers and bottom brackets fasten.
• The tracks and their supports.
• Springs, cables and hardware, and whether replacement parts are still available for that door.
• The opener, including whether it has safety sensors.

Signs repair makes sense

• The panels are solid and the problem is in the hardware.
• Matching parts are available.
• The repair scope is limited compared with what replacement involves.

Signs replacement may be the better value

• Extensive rot, rust or damage across several sections.
• Parts for that door are no longer made.
• The repair list keeps growing once the door is inspected.

We compare the repair scope with replacement and show you both: a written price for the repair, and a free on-site estimate if you want to look at a new door. Two caveats. New hardware does not guarantee a specific number of remaining years, and if the opener lacks safety sensors, we quote a replacement and explain why. See repairing or replacing an opener.

Read more

• Garage door repair
• New garage door installation

Related questions

• Can you replace one damaged garage door panel instead of the whole door?
• Should I repair or replace my garage door?
• Can you repair a custom or old wood garage door?
• How do you fix a swollen wood garage door that sticks?
• Do you repair one-piece tilt-up garage doors?

Have a different question? Call (916) 838-8182 or browse all garage door questions.